Riverhead · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Town of Riverhead public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Retail parking ratios and assessment of outdoor commercial use
Board members questioned whether a roofing/construction business is operating from a home the owner is converting to a two-family, citing a fleet of trucks, extra electric meters and a Justice Court conditional discharge barring commercial activity. The hearing was adjourned for investigation.
Disabled Veterans Tax Exemption Local Law
A new state law gives 100% disabled veterans a full property tax exemption, becoming mandatory in October 2026. Veterans told the board the eligibility rules are confusing and exclude many with PTSD who don't need home modifications.
Records Digitization
Decades of paper building records sit in a basement, and FOIL requests can take months. Scanning them into a searchable online system would give instant public access, cut FOIL staff time, and could generate about $180,000 a year in subscription revenue from realtors and attorneys.
Justice Court and Police Department air conditioning replacement
The Justice Court's HVAC is out of operation, forcing this meeting to move. A budget adjustment to replace the units is on the September 1 agenda.
URT Tax Certiorari Settlement
Ron Harari said records show nearly $1 million spent on tax certiorari lawyers since 2020, including ~$250,000 on the United Terminals case, and pressed the board to disclose the settlement amount. The town attorney's office declined to answer without research.
Justice Court revenue doubling
May court collections hit $56,640 — about double last May — thanks to higher fines and prepared cases pushing defendants to plead. Blight mitigation fines remain the biggest category, and the town attorney may seek Supreme Court action on two problem properties.
Future of Alive on 25 festival
After questions about whether Alive on 25 is worth the police and staffing costs, business owners rallied in support. The board agreed to keep the events, plan them earlier in the year, and explore additions like a restaurant week and moving the Fourth-before-the-Fourth back downtown.
Scavenger waste fee change
First fee update since 1986: sewer application and inspection fees would rise to cover actual inspection costs, with new fees for funeral homes, car washes, and similar businesses.
Community Preservation Fund debt pay-down
The town has $30 million sitting in its land-preservation fund and could pay off $7.2 million of old bond debt early, saving $660,000 in interest — while still leaving about $19 million to buy and preserve land. The move also removes the debt payment from future budgets.
Early retirement incentive
The town has a surprise $5 million surplus and is considering offering early retirement to eligible CSEA, PBA and SOA employees, with estimated first-year savings of $1.3–1.4 million. Councilwoman Merrifield is pushing for full public disclosure and study of past incentives before any deal, and the board will meet individually with the financial administrator.
Town litigation matters (Tanger, Traditional Links, election case)
The board met behind closed doors on an employee discipline matter, litigation with Calverton Aviation Technology, an intermunicipal agreement with Brookhaven, and its parking consultant contract. No details were discussed publicly.
Potential generator at Veterans Memorial Park ice rink
A resident's Zoom questions revealed the town hockey rink still lacks a final certificate of occupancy years after opening, following a partial dome collapse during a blizzard. Officials said an outside engineer cleared the site, but the resident is still waiting on his FOIL request for repair records.
Procurement process — sole source vs. RFP
The town's purchasing director flagged that she hadn't seen the vendor's sole-source letter before the agenda, and questioned whether the town should issue an RFP to test competing technologies like fuel cells before committing $1.3 million.
Pump-out boat program funding and staffing
The town applies annually for up to $14,000 in state EFC grant reimbursement for its pump-out boats, but there's only one operator and board members worry about losing him without a raise.
Snow response and first responder tax credit deadline
Officials thanked highway, water, sewer and other crews for clearing February's snowstorm, and reminded volunteer firefighters that the March 1 deadline is approaching for the new 10% town tax reduction — now open to those with just two years of service.
Tax Exemption for Surviving Spouses of Officers Killed in the Line of Duty
The board fast-tracked notice for a new property tax exemption for surviving spouses of police officers killed in the line of duty, so eligible families can apply before the March 1 deadline.
Property assessments and Friars Head refund exposure
Resident Ron Harari ripped the town assessor over a 160% tax spike story, more than $10 million in past refunds, and an appellate ruling that Friars Head Golf Course was assessed at triple its value. The board pushed back, saying a judge, not the assessor, made that call.
Town assessor liability after court ruling
Ron Harari pressed the board on the multi-million-dollar assessment case the town lost, noting town reserves dropped over $1 million in a week, and asked what the town will do for taxpayers who were overassessed. Barbara Blass defended the assessors.
Free beach parking for veterans and volunteer firefighters
Resolution 7 would waive town beach parking permit fees for veterans and volunteer fire and ambulance members living in town.
Showmobile costs and fee structure
The town's stage trailer costs about $2,000 per outing — roughly $60,000 last year — while fees collected are minimal. The board is weighing higher fees, restricting use to town events, or selling it and buying a smaller stage.
Bond refunding could save taxpayers $390,000
The town's 2018 A and B bonds could be refinanced at lower rates, saving roughly $390,000 over the life of the bonds with no extension of repayment. Most savings hit the CPF and water district funds, not the general fund. The board needs to pass a refunding resolution, but can back out if rates turn unfavorable.
Special Event Police Cost Debate
Board members clashed over whether the Polish Town Street Fair should pay for police and fire costs, striking the payment clause since the code doesn't allow charging for police services.
Federal Community Project Funding Applications
The town is applying for up to $7 million in congressionally directed spending for repaving, drainage, streetscape, duck pond beautification, the highway barn, and police vehicles.
Volunteer Firefighter/Ambulance Tax Exemption Expansion
The town wants to cut the service requirement for the volunteer tax exemption from five years to two, to recruit and keep younger volunteers. The public hearing drew no comment; the vote comes at the next meeting, and volunteers must apply by March 1.
Town Square Project Cost Transparency
Resident Ron Harari pressed the board on the total cost of the town square project, the hockey rink subsidy, and aquarium tax benefits; the supervisor said he had not received the requested figures and pointed to the pending FOIL.
Special Event Fee Waiver Policy
Councilmembers Kern and Waski pushed back on routinely waiving special event fees, citing costs to taxpayers. The board agreed to keep the McMorris 5K waiver per precedent but develop a structured fee policy.
US Open parking at EPCAL runway
The town will license CDA land for USGA championship parking, bringing in $150,000.
2026 Town Salary Structure and Supervisor Pay Cut
The board set every 2026 salary and trimmed three to match the budget — most notably cutting the new supervisor's pay by about $9,000 below budget. A resident even called on all council members to follow suit given Riverhead's high tax burden.
2026 Donations Policy
A new formal policy spells out how the town evaluates, documents, and accounts for gifts — increasingly important with big donations from the Peconic-area foundation and the RVAC building fund drive, which has raised about $6.4 million.